Tomato line fir10-8086

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and theinbred tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a tomato plant of thehybrid designated PS01059664, the tomato line FIR10-8086 or tomato lineFIR16-1090. Also provided are tomato plants having all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of such a plant. Parts of these tomatoplants are also provided, for example, including pollen, an ovule,scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid PS01059664and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 is defined as comprising a singlelocus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, an addedgenetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. The tomato seed of the inventionmay be provided, in one embodiment of the invention, as an essentiallyhomogeneous population of tomato seed of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. Essentially homogeneouspopulations of seed are generally free from substantial numbers of otherseed. Therefore, seed of hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato linesFIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 may, in specific embodiments of the invention,be defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population oftomato plants designated PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 andFIR16-1090.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a tomato plant of hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato linesFIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating tomato plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid PS01059664and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 include those traits setforth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides tomatoplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridPS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing tomato seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent tomato plant with a second parenttomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent tomatoplants is a plant of tomato line FIR10-8086 or tomato line FIR16-1090.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid tomato seed or plants, wherein a first tomato plant is crossedwith a second tomato plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of tomato lineFIR10-8086 or tomato line FIR16-1090. In these processes, crossing willresult in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardlessof whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent tomato plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent tomato plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent tomato plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent tomato plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a tomato plant or hybrid tomatoplant.

The present invention also provides the tomato seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent tomato plant with asecond parent tomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent tomato plants is a plant of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. In one embodiment of theinvention, tomato seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid tomato seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridtomato plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid tomato plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato linesFIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomatolines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086and FIR16-1090 with a second plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plantwith itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation. In further embodiments, the method mayadditionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generationand crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself ora second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional 3-10generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. The plant derived from hybridPS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 may be aninbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of tomatohybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at leastone tomato from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement oftomato hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a tomato plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides tomato plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the tomato plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid PS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086and FIR16-1090 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by tomato plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a tomato plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second tomato plant, preferably, another, distincttomato plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a tomatoplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a plant of an hybridtomato that exhibits a combination of traits comprising a medium to bigfruit size (approximately 190 to 200 grams on average) with a nice fruitcolor and firmness; a fresh market hybrid tomato for the Turkish market;a plant with an indeterminate growth habit; possessing acceptable coldtolerance. In certain embodiments, the combination of traits may bedefined as controlled by genetic means for the expression of thecombination of traits found in tomato hybrid PS01059664.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the genotype of a plant of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and/ortomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 comprising detecting in thegenome of the plant at least a first polymorphism. The method may, incertain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality of polymorphisms inthe genome of the plant. The method may further comprise storing theresults of the step of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on acomputer readable medium. The invention further provides a computerreadable medium produced by such a method.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of tomato hybrid PS01059664, tomato lineFIR10-8086 and tomato line FIR16-1090. The hybrid PS01059664 is producedby the cross of parent lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. The parent linesshow uniformity and stability within the limits of environmentalinfluence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform seed hybrid PS01059664can be obtained.

The development of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and its parent lines can besummarized as follows.

A. ORIGIN AND BREEDING HISTORY OF TOMATO HYBRID PS01059664

The parents of hybrid PS01059664 are FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090. Theseparents were created as follows:

New F1 Pedigree of female parent hybrid Year FIR10-8086 PS01059664Pedigree of male parent FIR16-1090 2000 Planted Hybrid F1 SVR1657919 inplot 854 and then taken F2 seeds as 00TK01/0854.80. Planted F2 in plot1965 and taken F3 as 00TK02/1965.02. 2001 F2 Astona R-N 2 sel Planted F3in plot 635 and taken F4 as 01/02TKW7120 01TK01/0635.03. Planted F4 asplot 1006 and taken F5 as W01.02/1006.02 2002 F3 Astona R-N 2 selPlanted F5 in plot 311 and F6 taken as 02/03TKW JFKfall02/0311.01 2003F4 Astona R-N 15 sel 03SSD Planted F6 in plot 1283 and taken F7 8011 asJFKSpring03/1283.01 2003 F5 Astona R-N 15 sel 03AL Planted F7 in plot216 and taken F8 as 7060 JFKFall03/0216.01 2004 F6 Astona R-N 1 sel04ALW Planted F8 in plot 1135 and taken F9 7451 as JFKspring04/1135.01given the SBN number 3842 2005 SVR01059664 2006 F7 Astona R-N 1 selPlanted SBN 3842 in plot 06ALHB 5730 06EFT40876 and harvested in bulk asFIR 16-1090 2007 FIR10-8086 2008 PS01059664

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid therefrom. Asmall percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TOMATO HYBRIDPS01059664, TOMATO LINE FIR10-8086 AND TOMATO LINE FIR16-1090

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridPS01059664 CHARACTERISTIC PS01059664 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 205 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of Medium similar type) Habit Sprawling (decumbent)Stem: anthocyanin coloration of upper third Weak (Montfavet H 63.5) Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: Medium (Montfavet H 63.5)length of internode (between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 StemBranching Intermediate (Westover) Branching at cotyledon or first leafynode Absent Number of nodes between first inflorescence 7 to 10 Numberof nodes between early (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 1 to 4 3^(rd))inflorescences Number of nodes between later developing 1 to 4inflorescences Pubescence on younger stems Sparsely hairy (scatteredlong hairs) 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence)Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Bipinnate, smallleaflets inflorescence) Margins of major leaflets (mature leaf beneathNearly entire the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Marginal rolling or wiltiness(mature leaf Strong beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Onset of leafletrolling (mature leaf beneath the Early season 3^(rd) inflorescence)Surface of major leaflets (mature leaf beneath the Rugose (bumpy orveiny) 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd)Normal inflorescence) Attitude (in middle third of plant) Semi-drooping(Montfavet H 63.5) Length Medium (Lorena) Width Medium Division of bladeBipinnate (Lukullus, Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle of leaf)Medium (Marmande VR, Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium (Lucy)Glossiness (in middle third of plant) Weak (Daniela) Blistering (inmiddle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Size of blisters (in middlethird of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Attitude of petiole of leaflet inrelation to main Semi-erect (Blizzard, Marmande VR) axis (in middlethird of plant) Inflorescence: type (2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss)Intermediate (Harzfeuer) 5 Inflorescence Type (make observations on the3^(rd) Forked (2 major axes) inflorescence) Average number of flowers ininflorescence 7 (make observations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or“running” inflorescence (make Occasional observations on the 3^(rd)inflorescence) 6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Calyx-lobesApprox. equaling corolla Corolla color Yellow Style pubescence SparseAnthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flower of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) inflorescence) Occasionally present Color Yellow (Marmande VR) 7Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal section (3^(rd) fruit of Slightlyflattened 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape of transverse/cross section(3^(rd) fruit of Round 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape of stem end(3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Indented Shape of blossom end(3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Indented (Marmande VR, Super Mech)cluster) Size of blossom scar Small (Montfavet H 63.4, Montfavet H 63.5)Shape of pistil scar (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) DotPeduncle: abscission layer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Present(pedicellate) cluster) (Montfavet H. 63.5, Roma) Only for varieties withabscission layers: Long (Erlidor, Ramy, Ranco) Peduncle: length (fromabscission layer to calyx) Ribbing at peduncle end Weak (Early Mech,Hypeel 244, Melody, Peto Gro, Rio Grande) Depression at peduncle endWeak (Futuria, Melody) Size of stem/peduncle scar Small (Early Mech,Peto Gro, Rio Grande, Roma) Point of detachment of fruit at harvest(3^(rd) fruit At pedicel joint of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Length ofdedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) 13 mm Length ofmature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) 53 mm cluster) Diameterof fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) 62 mm Weight ofmature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) 140 grams cluster) SizeMedium (Alphamech, Diego) Ratio length/diameter Medium (Early Mech, PetoGro) Core Present Size of core in cross section (in relation to totalSmall (Early Mech, Europeel, diameter) Heinz 1706, Peto Gro, Rio Grande,Rossol) Number of locules 3 or 4 (Montfavet H 63.5) Surface Smooth Basecolor (mature-green stage) Apple or medium green (Heinz 1439 VF) Pattern(mature-green stage) Green-shouldered Green shoulder (before maturity)Present (Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Shoulder color if different frombase Dark Green Extent of green shoulder (before maturity) Medium(Erlidor, Foxy, Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of green color of shoulder(before Medium (Montfavet H 63.5) maturity) Intensity of green color offruit (before maturity) Medium (Rody) Color at maturity (full-ripe) Red(Ferline, Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Color of flesh at maturity(full-ripe) Red/Pink Flesh color With lighter and darker areas in wallsLocular gel color of table-ripe fruit Yellow Firmness Very firm(Daniela, Karat, Lolek) Shelf life Long (Daniela) Time of floweringMedium (Montfavet H 63.5, Prisca) Time of maturity Medium (Montfavet H63.5) Ripening Uniform Ripening Outside in Epidermis color YellowEpidermis Easy-peel Epidermis texture Tender Thickness of pericarp Thick(Cal J, Daniela, Ferline, Peto Gro, Rio Grande) Dry matter content (atmaturity) Medium 9 Disease and Pest Reaction Furarium oxysporum f. sp.lycopersici - Race 0 Present (Anabel, Marporum, Marsol) Fusarium wilt,Race 1 (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highly resistant/present (Motelle,Walter) Fusarium wilt, Race 2 (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highlyresistant Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici Present (Momor)Verticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Highly Resistant Verticilliumdahliae - Race 0 Present (Clairvil, Marmande VR) Southern root knotnematode (Meloidogyne incognita) Highly resistant/present (Anabel,Anahu) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 0 present (Mobaci, Mocimor, Moperou)Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 1 present (Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato mosaicvirus - Strain 2 present (Mobaci, Mocimor) 10 Chemistry and Compositionof Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.84 Titratable acidity, as % citric 0.202 Totalsolids (dry matter, seeds and skin removed; 6.91 % residue on Wt per Wtbasis) Soluble solids as % Brix 6.32 11 Phenology Fruiting season Long(Marglobe) Relative maturity in areas tested Medium 12 AdaptationCulture Field and Greenhouse Principle use(s): (if more than onecategory Fresh market applies, list all in rank order) Machine harvestNot adapted Regions to which adaptation has been Turkey demonstrated (ifmore than one category applies, list all in rank order) *These aretypical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values thatare substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineFIR10-8086 CHARACTERISTIC FIR10-8086 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 175 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of similar type) Medium Habit Semi-erect Stem:anthocyanin coloration of upper third Weak (Montfavet H 63.5) Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: Medium (Montfavet H 63.5)length of internode (between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 StemBranching Intermediate (Westover) Branching at cotyledon or first leafynode Absent Number of nodes between first inflorescence 10 or moreNumber of nodes between early (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 1 to 43^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodes between later developing 1 to 4inflorescences Pubescence on younger stems Sparsely hairy (scatteredlong hairs) 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence)Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Bipinnate, mediumleaflets inflorescence) Margins of major leaflets (mature leaf beneathShallowly toothed or scalloped the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Marginalrolling or wiltiness (mature leaf Moderate beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf beneath the Earlyseason 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface of major leaflets (mature leafbeneath the Rugose (bumpy or veiny) 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence(mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Normal inflorescence) Attitude (inmiddle third of plant) Semi-drooping (Montfavet H 63.5) Length Medium(Lorena) Width Medium Division of blade Bipinnate (Lukullus,Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle of leaf) Medium (Marmande VR,Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium (Lucy) Inflorescence: type(2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss) Intermediate (Harzfeuer) 5 Inflorescence Type(make observations on the 3^(rd) Forked (2 major axes) inflorescence)Average number of flowers in inflorescence 7 (make observations on the3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running” inflorescence (make Absentobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) 6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobesawl shaped) Calyx-lobes Shorter than corolla Corolla color Yellow Stylepubescence Sparse Anthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flowerof 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence) Absent (Monalbo, Moneymaker) ColorYellow (Marmande VR) 7 Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal section(3^(rd) fruit of Flattened 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape oftransverse/cross section (3^(rd) fruit of Round 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)Indented Shape of blossom end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Indentedto flat cluster) Size of blossom scar Small (Montfavet H 63.4, MontfavetH 63.5) Shape of pistil scar (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)Dot Peduncle: abscission layer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Present(pedicellate) (Montfavet H. 63.5, Roma) cluster) Only for varieties withabscission layers: Long (Erlidor, Ramy, Ranco) Peduncle: length (fromabscission layer to calyx) Ribbing at peduncle end Medium (Montfavet H63.4, Montfavet H 63.5) Size of stem/peduncle scar Small (Early Mech,Peto Gro, Rio Grande, Roma) Point of detachment of fruit at harvest(3^(rd) fruit At pedicel joint of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Length ofdedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) 14 mm Length ofmature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) 50 mm cluster) Diameterof fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) 67 mm Weight ofmature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) 155 grams cluster) SizeMedium (Alphamech, Diego) Ratio length/diameter Small (Alicia) CorePresent Number of locules 3 or 4 (Montfavet H 63.5) Surface Slightlyrough Base color (mature-green stage) Apple or medium green (Heinz 1439VF) Pattern (mature-green stage) Green-shouldered Green shoulder (beforematurity) Present (Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Shoulder color ifdifferent from base Dark Green Extent of green shoulder (beforematurity) Medium (Erlidor, Foxy, Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of greencolor of shoulder (before Medium (Montfavet H 63.5) maturity) Intensityof green color of fruit (before maturity) Medium (Rody) Color atmaturity (full-ripe) Red (Ferline, Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Color offlesh at maturity (full-ripe) Red/crimson (Ferline, Saint-Pierre) Fleshcolor With lighter and darker areas in walls Locular gel color oftable-ripe fruit Red Firmness Very firm (Daniela, Karat, Lolek) Shelflife Medium (Durinta) Time of flowering Medium (Montfavet H 63.5,Prisca) Time of maturity Medium (Montfavet H 63.5) Ripening UniformRipening Outside in Epidermis color Yellow Epidermis Normal Epidermistexture Average Thickness of pericarp Medium (Carmello, Europeel,Floradade, Heinz 1706, Montfavet H 63.5) Dry matter content (atmaturity) Medium 9 Disease and Pest Reaction Furarium oxysporum f. sp.lycopersici - Race 0 Present (Anabel, Marporum, Marsol) Fusarium wilt,Race 1 (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highly resistant/present (Motelle,Walter) Fusarium wilt, Race 2 (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highlyresistant Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici Present (Momor)Verticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Highly Resistant Verticilliumdahliae - Race 0 Present (Clairvil, Marmande VR) Southern root knotnematode (Meloidogyne incognita) Highly resistant/present (Anabel,Anahu) 10 Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.73Titratable acidity, as % citric 0.274 Total solids (dry matter, seedsand skin removed; 6.4 % residue on Wt per Wt basis) Soluble solids as %Brix 5.68 11 Phenology Fruiting season Long (Marglobe) Relative maturityin areas tested Medium late 12 Adaptation Culture Greenhouse Principleuse(s): (if more than one category Fresh market applies, list all inrank order) Machine harvest Not adapted Regions to which adaptation hasbeen Europe, Middle East And Africa demonstrated (if more than onecategory applies, list all in rank order) *These are typical values.Values may vary due to environment. Other values that are substantiallyequivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineFIR16-1090 CHARACTERISTIC FIR16-1090 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 185 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of similar Medium type) Habit Sprawling (decumbent)Stem: anthocyanin coloration of upper third Weak (Montfavet H 63.5) Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: Medium (Montfavet H 63.5)length of internode (between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 StemBranching Intermediate (Westover) Branching at cotyledon or first leafynode Absent Number of nodes between first inflorescence 7 to 10 Numberof nodes between early (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 1 to 4 3^(rd))inflorescences Number of nodes between later developing 1 to 4inflorescences Pubescence on younger stems Sparsely hairy (scatteredlong hairs) 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence)Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Bipinnate, smallleaflets inflorescence) Margins of major leaflets (mature leaf beneathShallowly toothed or scalloped the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Marginalrolling or wiltiness (mature leaf Strong beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf beneath the Earlyseason 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface of major leaflets (mature leafbeneath the Rugose (bumpy or veiny) 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence(mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Normal inflorescence) Attitude (inmiddle third of plant) Semi-drooping (Montfavet H 63.5) Length Medium(Lorena) Width Medium Division of blade Bipinnate (Lukullus,Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle of leaf) Medium (Marmande VR,Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium (Lucy) Inflorescence: type(2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss) Intermediate (Harzfeuer) 5 Inflorescence Type(make observations on the 3^(rd) Forked (2 major axes) inflorescence)Average number of flowers in inflorescence 6 (make observations on the3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running” inflorescence (make Absentobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) 6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobesawl shaped) Calyx-lobes Shorter than corolla Corolla color Yellow Stylepubescence Sparse Anthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flowerof 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence) Absent (Monalbo, Moneymaker) ColorYellow (Marmande VR) 7 Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal section(3^(rd) fruit of Circular 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape oftransverse/cross section (3^(rd) fruit of Angular 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)Flat Shape of blossom end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Indented toflat cluster) Shape of pistil scar (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Stellate Peduncle: abscission layer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) Present (pedicellate) (Montfavet H. 63.5, Roma) cluster) Only forvarieties with abscission layers: Medium (Dario, Primosol) Peduncle:length (from abscission layer to calyx) Depression at peduncle endAbsent or very weak (Europeel, Heinz 1706, Rossol, Sweet Baby) Size ofstem/peduncle scar Small (Early Mech, Peto Gro, Rio Grande, Roma) Pointof detachment of fruit at harvest (3^(rd) fruit At pedicel joint of2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of dedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) cluster) 12 mm Length of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) 55 mm cluster) Diameter of fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) cluster) 62 mm Weight of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) 151 grams cluster) Size Medium (Alphamech, Diego) Ratiolength/diameter Medium (Early Mech, Peto Gro) Core Present Number oflocules 4, 5 or 6 (Raïssa, Tradiro) Surface Slightly rough Base color(mature-green stage) Yellow green Pattern (mature-green stage) Uniformgreen Green shoulder (before maturity) Absent (Felicia, Rio Grande,Trust) Intensity of green color of fruit (before maturity) Light(Capello, Duranto, Trust) Color at maturity (full-ripe) Red (Ferline,Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Color of flesh at maturity (full-ripe)Red/pink Flesh color With lighter and darker areas in walls Locular gelcolor of table-ripe fruit Red Firmness Medium (Cristina) Shelf lifeMedium (Durinta) Time of flowering Medium (Montfavet H 63.5, Prisca)Time of maturity Medium (Montfavet H 63.5) Ripening Uniform RipeningOutside in Epidermis color Yellow Epidermis Easy-peel Epidermis textureAverage Thickness of pericarp Medium (Carmello, Europeel, Floradade,Heinz 1706, Montfavet H 63.5) Dry matter content (at maturity) Medium 9Disease and Pest Reaction Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 0 Present(Mobaci, Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 1 Present(Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 2 Present (MobaciMocimor) Furarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici - Race 0 Present (Anabel,Marporum, Marsol) Fusarium wilt, Race 1 (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici)Highly resistant/present (Motelle, Walter) Fusarium wilt, Race 2 (F.oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highly resistant Fusarium wilt, Race 3 (F.oxysporum f. lycopersici) Highly resistant Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.radicis lycopersici Absent (Motelle) Cladosporium fulvum - Group AAbsent (Monalbo) Cladosporium fulvum - Group B Absent (Monalbo)Cladosporium fulvum - Group C Absent (Monalbo) Cladosporium fulvum -Group D Absent (Monalbo) Cladosporium fulvum - Group E Absent (Monalbo)Verticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Highly resistant Verticilliumdahliae - Race 0 Present (Clairvil, Marmande VR) 10 Chemistry andComposition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.79 Titratable acidity, as % citric0.268 Total solids (dry matter, seeds and skin removed; 6.45 % residueon Wt per Wt basis) Soluble solids as % Brix 5.68 11 Phenology Fruitingseason Medium (Westover) Relative maturity in areas tested Medium 12Adaptation Culture Greenhouse Principle use(s): (if more than onecategory Fresh market applies, list all in rank order) Machine harvestNot adapted Regions to which adaptation has been Europe, Middle East AndAfrica demonstrated (if more than one category applies, list all in rankorder) *These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment.Other values that are substantially equivalent are also within the scopeof the invention.

C. BREEDING TOMATO PLANTS

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof tomato hybrid PS01059664 involving crossing tomato lines FIR10-8086and FIR16-1090. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid PS01059664, line FIR10-8086, or line FIR16-1090 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid PS01059664 and/or the tomato lines FIR10-8086 andFIR16-1090, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid PS01059664 and/or the tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090.Plants derived from hybrid PS01059664 and/or the tomato lines FIR10-8086and FIR16-1090 may be used, in certain embodiments, for the developmentof new tomato varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid PS01059664 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withPS01059664 and/or tomato lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 for the purposeof developing novel tomato lines, it will typically be preferred tochoose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selecteddesirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s)when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirable traits may include, inspecific embodiments, high seed yield, high seed germination, seedlingvigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance or resistance, andadaptability for soil and climate conditions. Consumer-driven traits,such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and taste are other examples oftraits that may be incorporated into new lines of tomato plantsdeveloped by this invention.

D. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

As described above, hybrid PS01059664 exhibits desirable agronomictraits. The performance characteristics of PS01059664 were the subjectof an objective analysis of the performance traits relative to othervarieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Characteristics For PS01059664 Trait PS01059644DANIELA Fusarium oxysporum f sp Resistant Susceptibleradicis-lycopersici

E. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those tomato plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentaltomato plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental tomato plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a tomato plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny tomato plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of tomato the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of tomato plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

F. PLANTS DERIVED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectorsfor Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangementof genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate theconstruction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide codinggenes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regionsflanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expressionof inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally, Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used fortransformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., 1985; Omirulleh et al., 1993; Fromm et al., 1986;Uchimiya et al., 1986; Marcotte et al., 1988). Transformation of plantsand expression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(1994), and Ellul et al. (2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., 1985), including in monocots(see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, 1990); atandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35Spromoter (P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., 1988);the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., 1989); and the figwortmosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promotersequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., 1988), (2)light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., 1989; maize rbcSpromoter, Schaffner and Sheen, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinpromoter, Simpson et al., 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al.,1989); or (5) chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, orSafener. It may also be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters(e.g., Roshal et al., 1987; Schernthaner et al., 1988; Bustos et al.,1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a tomato plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a tomato plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., aribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (seefor example, Gibson and Shillito, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces aprotein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change ofinterest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

G. DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a tomatovariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a tomato plant by transformation.

H. DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and inbred parent lines FIR10-8086and FIR16-1090, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been madewith the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 UniversityBlvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit Was Jun. 15, 2009.The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of tomato hybridPS01059664 and inbred parent lines FIR10-8086 and FIR16-1090 are ATCCAccession Number PTA-10129, ATCC Accession Number PTA-10130, and ATCCAccession Number PTA-10131, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCES

The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference:

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1. A tomato plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes oftomato line FIR10-8086, a sample of seed of said line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-10130.
 2. A seed comprising atleast a first set of the chromosomes of tomato line FIR10-8086, a sampleof seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-10130, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-10131, respectively.
 3. Theplant of claim 1, which is inbred.
 4. The plant of claim 1, which ishybrid.
 5. The plant of claim 4, wherein the hybrid plant is tomatohybrid PS01059664, a sample of seed of said hybrid PS01059664 havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-10129.
 6. The seed ofclaim 2, wherein the seed produces a plant of line FIR10-8086.
 7. Aplant part of the plant of claim
 1. 8. The plant part of claim 7,further defined as a leaf, an ovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 9. Atomato plant having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the tomato plant of claim
 5. 10. A tomato planthaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of thetomato plant of claim
 3. 11. A tissue culture of regenerable cells ofthe plant of claim
 1. 12. The tissue culture according to claim 11,comprising cells or protoplasts from a plant part selected from thegroup consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves,anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 13. A tomatoplant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim
 12. 14. A method ofvegetatively propagating the plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of:(a) collecting tissue capable of being propagated from the plantaccording to claim 1; (b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferatedshoots; and (c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rootedplantlets.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising growing atleast a first plant from said rooted plantlets.
 16. A method ofintroducing a desired trait into a tomato line comprising: (a) crossinga plant of line FIR10-8086 with a second tomato plant that comprises adesired trait to produce F1 progeny, a sample of seed of said linehaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-10130; (b)selecting an F1 progeny that comprises the desired trait; (c)backcrossing the selected F1 progeny with a plant of line FIR10-8086 toproduce backcross progeny; (d) selecting backcross progeny comprisingthe desired trait and the physiological and morphological characteristicof tomato line FIR10-8086; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three ormore times to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny thatcomprises the desired trait.
 17. A tomato plant produced by the methodof claim
 16. 18. A method of producing a plant comprising an addedtrait, the method comprising introducing a transgene conferring thetrait into a plant of line FIR10-8086, a sample of seed of said linehaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-10129.
 19. A plantproduced by the method of claim
 18. 20. A method of determining thegenotype of the plant of claim 1 comprising obtaining a sample ofnucleic acids from said plant and detecting in said nucleic acids aplurality of polymorphisms, thereby determining the genotype of theplant.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step ofstoring the results of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on acomputer readable medium.
 22. The plant of claim 1, further comprising atransgene.
 23. The plant of claim 22, wherein the transgene confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 24. A plant oftomato line FIR10-8086, further comprising a single locus conversion, asample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-10130.
 25. The plant of claim 24, wherein the single locusconversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified proteinmetabolism.
 26. A method for producing a seed of a plant derived from atline FIR10-8086 comprising the steps of: (a) crossing a tomato plant ofline FIR10-8086 with itself or a second tomato plant; a sample of seedof said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-10129; and (b) allowing seed of a line FIR10-8086 derived tomatoplant to form.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the stepsof: (c) selfing a plant grown from said FIR10-8086 derived tomato seedto yield additional line FIR10-8086 derived tomato seed; (d) growingsaid additional line FIR10-8086 derived tomato seed of step (c) to yieldadditional line FIR10-8086 derived tomato plants; and (e) repeating thecrossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) to generate at least a firstfurther line FIR10-8086 derived tomato plant.
 28. The method of claim26, wherein the second tomato plant is of an inbred tomato line.
 29. Themethod of claim 26, comprising crossing line FIR10-8086 with lineFIR16-1090, a sample of seed of said lines having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-10130, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-10131,respectively.
 30. The method of claim 27, further comprising: (f)crossing the further FIR10-8086 derived tomato plant with a secondtomato plant to produce seed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 31. A hybridseed that produces the plant of claim
 5. 32. (canceled)
 33. A plant partof the plant of claim
 31. 34. The plant part of claim 33, furtherdefined as a leaf, a flower, a fruit, an ovule, pollen, or a cell.
 35. Amethod of producing a tomato seed comprising crossing the plant of claim1 with itself or a second tomato plant and allowing seed to form.
 36. Amethod of producing a tomato fruit comprising: (a) obtaining the plantaccording to claim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity;and (b) collecting a tomato from the plant.